FORMULA 1 - 2014

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$1.5 billion, fashion and bad breath- F1′s odd character

Formula 1 is an odd sport for a host of reasons but perhaps its parochial nature, insider’s-only style and high profile investors, sponsors and pundits make for a spectacle that can only be described as opulent and lavish. The dollars that ebb and flow through F1 are sometimes a bit mind boggling but such is life at the cutting edge of motor sport.

You may recall that several years ago Lehman Brothers had a significant stake in F1 and when the investment group went under, its shares were secured in a new holding group in order to liquidate the assets for maximum potential to repay creditors left holding the bag. No worries, I’m not one of those creditors but thanks for the concern.

To those ends, it seems that seeing Circuit Mont-Tremblant owner and Tommy Hilfiger/ Michael Kors fashion magnate, Lawrence Stroll in the paddock at Monaco gave rise to some speculation. Enough speculation to prompt a comment from Mr. Bernie Ecclestone telling Forbes:

“Nobody knows if Lawrence is buying into F1. Everybody talks. A deal has definitely not been done. I doubt that he will buy F1,”

As Forbes writer Christian Sylt put it, if CVC Capital were looking for a valuation of $12 billion for F1, then Lehman’s outstanding stake would be worth $1.5 billion and perhaps speculation is that Stroll might be interested, as a keen motor sport fanatic, to take a run at ownership.

It’s a tad complicated on how Lehman was dissolved and what company now holds which assets but Christian does a decent job of unpacking it here. Suffice it to say, there is a chunk of F1 stock out there that will need to be sold and that sale could be imminent but who might buy that stock is anyone’s guess.

Bad Breath

Advertising giant WPP has a sponsorship agency called Prism that belonged to former Benetton F1 team commercial director Steve Madincea. According to the Telegraph, he sold Prism in 1999 to WPP whose chief executive, Sir Martin Sorrell, happens to be a board member of CVC Capital and non-executive director of F1’s parent company, Delta Topco.

While Prism’s revenue has grown on the run-up to the world cup through Johnson & Johnson’s Listerine and Regaine brands, it also is worth noting that Prism is significantly leveraged in motor sport and holds the Inifiniti and Casio sponsorship in F1 that are both associated with Red Bull.

Small world huh? Lots of webs and deals made in F1 and sometimes it helps to see where all the ties that bind are located. Why does F1 continue in a certain trajectory? Why would F1 avoid making certain teams unhappy versus others? Where do the small teams fit into the bigger picture?

You can start to do a little addition and see where interests are held and for what reasons. Most likely, what we see is only the very tip of the iceberg.

It does make you wonder where all of these investors are in CVC Capital’s portfolio for F1. Kansas-based Waddell & Reed? Teacher’s union? Lehman brothers (LBI)? You know, I often am reminded that my fondness of Bernie Ecclestone is really born out of the simplicity, no nonsense approach of a benevolent dictator running the sport. You know where you stand with Mr. E and sometimes I do hear folks wishing he would move on and let F1 find its new footing and future.

I say be careful for what you ask for because the politics will get massive without Mr. E at the helm holding things together. It is an inevitability that it will someday come to pass and I believe we may just be looking back at the good old days when F1 was straightforward under Mr. E’s rule.

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Alonso: We aim to arrive in Canada with a better car

After two races in Europe, the F1 circus leaves the Old Continent and heads west for the first time this year to take in one of the most popular events on the calendar, the Canadian Grand Prix.

Before crossing the Atlantic, Fernando Alonso spent a few days in the factory at Maranello, helping the team prepare for the race, while team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was involved in sponsor work in Scandinavia.

“After Monaco I felt a good atmosphere in the factory,” said Fernando. “Everyone is very motivated and hungry for good results. We are realistic and well aware of where we are at the moment, but from now on, we want to be in a position to get better results and enjoy our race weekends a bit more and everyone is working in one direction to improve the car”.

The Spaniard has always enjoyed being in the factory and he feels it can provide tangible results, “It is important to spend time with the engineers, the mechanics and other team personnel away from the race weekend, because there are always new ideas or things that spring to mind.”

“It can happen that even while you are just having lunch together, you remember something that you would like to try at the next Grand Prix or even in the simulator. That’s why it’s good for me to spend time here in a unique family environment”.

In the short term, the focus has naturally been on the upcoming Grand Prix, “We have been improving the car on the aero side, while in the simulator, we have done a lot of work on the set-up with the aim of arriving in Canada with a better car.”

“We can’t make any predictions because our improvement has to be seen in relation to what our competitors come up with. We need to match them and then find a plus”.

As a past winner at the Gilles Villeneuve track, Alonso is a fan of the place, “It has only six or seven corners, but each one has something special. They have an element of danger and getting them right brings you a lot of lap time. There is definitely no room for error, as all the walls are very very close. You can feel the city of Montreal has a lot of passion for the race and everyone gets involved in some way.”

“I won here which definitely provides good memories and I also remember that big storm a couple of years back which meant the race was stopped for hours and we were waiting on the grid. There have been ups and downs in terms of results and hopefully this year will be a good one.”

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Renault: We will be out of recovery mode in Canada

Renault have been in crisis since the the new era V6 turbo engines fired up the first time at Jerez in late February, and now three months later and six grands prix into the season the French manufacturer is unleashing the full might of their engines in Canada – as per the planned recovery.

Speaking ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend Rémi Taffin, Renault Sport F1 head of track operations declared, “At the start of the season we said that we would be out of recovery mode and back on track from the Canadian Grand Prix onwards.”

“In the last four races we’ve introduced several new upgrades and we will complete the process in Montreal, effectively giving us the first full opportunity to see where we are versus the competition.”

“We have several new parts to debut here, primarily designed to give us greater reliability. As in previous races we have more upgrades to software to further enhance driveability and energy management.”

“Additionally we have investigated the reasons for the failures in Monaco and have taken measures to ensure they do not reoccur. In particular we have looked at Vettel’s issue, which was traced back to a mechanical problem with the MGU-H.”

“The part in question has been revisited and further end of line checks have made it more robust now. The exhaust issues on the Toro Rossos have also been investigated with the team and together we have seen how we can avoid further issues in future thanks to improvements to our diagnosis and understanding of the full exhaust system behaviour in the car.”

“These developments will all be of benefit in Montreal, which represents the toughest challenge of the year so far for the Power Units. The long straights demand maximum power for a high percentage of the lap, therefore stressing the ICE hugely.”

“I expect we’ll see speeds in excess of 330kph as we did in Barcelona so we will rely on the MGU-K and MGU-H to boost both top speed and acceleration.”

“With very few corners energy recovery via the MGU-K will however be pretty difficult as the cars do not slow frequently over the lap. As a result the emphasis will be on the MGU-H to recover energy through the exhaust gasses – we’ll need as much energy as we can as we’ll be right on the limit with the fuel consumption here.”

“Having said that, we will also monitor the right balance between traditional and electrical energy to decide the most effective way to use the fuel in the race.”

“Even though we know that the competition is extremely strong, we go to Montreal in an optimistic frame of mind as we always do our best to win on track. Realistically we have to be humble, but it will still be a very good test of how far we’ve come since the difficult winter testing period and how much work remains to be done,” concluded Taffin.

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Grosjean: It’s always easy to go quick when the car is good

After salvaging points around the claustrophobic streets of Monaco, Romain Grosjean is ready to let the Lotus E22 stretch its legs at the Canadian Grand Prix…

Do you have good memories of Montréal?

I have very good memories from 2012 when I went from seventh on the grid to my first second place in Formula 1. It was a really great day and it was really a strong team result as we used a one-stop strategy to get on the podium after a disappointing qualifying session the day before. Last year wasn’t so good and we struggled with the wet weather and conditions but the place itself? Montréal is a wonderful city to visit. There are obviously a lot of French speakers so it’s like another home race for me, and the fans are so welcoming and knowledgeable. There are also some very good restaurants in Montréal which is always a bonus.

How much of a challenge is the Gilles Villeneuve circuit?

Montreal is in-between a normal circuit and a street circuit. The walls are very close in some places, while other parts are similar to a European circuit. It’s definitely unique and we normally bring a different downforce package for that reason, which adds another unknown factor to the weekend. The circuit is not used for the rest of the year so the grip will change a lot – something we’ll have to adapt to – and the weather can also be tricky. Hopefully it’ll be nice and sunny because it’s a race I really like – and it’s my favourite circuit to race on the Xbox. The last chicane is a notable feature and overall it’s a good track.

What is it about street or street-esque circuits that you like?

I enjoy the sensation of being close to the walls. Montréal is different from Monaco as there are some long straights and some big braking moments. The track surface can also present challenges as we’ve seen in other seasons, so it will be interesting to see what the grip level is like this year and that will certainly be on your mind as you take to the track for the first time over the weekend.

How would you sum up Monaco given that the car wasn’t reacting as you wanted, but you still matched your best result of the year?

The start of the Monaco Grand Prix was a nightmare because I was hit on the first lap and suffered a puncture. Then I was stuck in traffic and couldn’t overtake. Of course when you have a predictable car with plenty of grip it is easy to attack, but we struggled to find a base set-up and it clearly wasn’t good enough in the race. But anything is possible in Monaco, we didn’t give up and managed to recover from 19th to 8th. We scored points and we know where to improve the car, which is not quick enough in low speed corners and certainly we’re trying to get more power for Canada too!

And the high speed corners?

They are not a concern. The aerodynamics are stable and the power unit management is getting better so now we are more focussed on the suspension side. Last year we had a very good car in that aspect, so we’ll compare the E22 with the E21 and possibly revert to some previous settings to make it better at low speed. I believe our downforce is pretty good so it’s mechanical grip we’re after. Even at Monaco we improved the car, even if it didn’t look like it on the timesheets.

In previous seasons the car was good out of the box, while the E22 has required a lot of development. How does that change things in terms of your approach?

It’s always easy to go quick when the car is good. You just have to concentrate on your driving. When the car is a bit more tricky you have to think about your driving and what the car is doing, because it can react unpredictably. Add to that all the different systems management we now do in the car, it becomes a real mental test! That’s not ideal for Monaco, so it was a very demanding Grand Prix, but at other tracks with more margin for error you can push more. I’m happy we made it to eighth at Monaco and we go to Canada with more confidence.

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Maldonado: It would be good to have a trouble free weekend

Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado puts a rather short Monaco Grand Prix behind him and turns his focus to Montreal and the new challenge of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Monaco was definitely one of your shortest races. How frustrating was it?

I was very disappointed because I was expecting to be in the points and the car did feel strong performance wise. The chances in Monaco are always very high and I was ready to do a great race, but unfortunately it was not to be. As you saw, we were not the only team to have technical problems at the last race, however we just need to work harder to try to solve all of the small issues and get better with each race. They are frustrating, absolutely, but we are getting stronger and stronger each time the car goes out on track.

In terms of performance, the E22 didn’t seem to like low speed corners?

It didn’t in Monaco, but that is such a unique track. But, yes, we need to work very hard in the low-speed corners. In medium and high-speed corners, such as at Barcelona, we were very competitive. It was only in the last sector in Spain that we were losing a little bit against the other teams because it is the slow part of the circuit. Top speed and slow corners are probably the weakest points of our car now.

Unfortunately Canada has long straights followed by low-speed corners…

It could be a difficult weekend for the team, for sure. We are not expecting to be at the top, simply because of the type of track and how we understand our car and its performance strengths and weaknesses. It’s not very aggressive on the tyres either, so we’ll see how it is when we head out to track. Anything can happen and our guys are all working very hard to adapt the car to find more traction in the slow corners and squeeze out some more top speed.

Do you like the Montréal track?

It’s amazing and I always enjoy being there. Canada is a great race not only because of the track but because of the people who come to support it. There is a great atmosphere all weekend and the city is quite close to the circuit which means there is a great vibe all round. There is also a lot of history to the Grand Prix as well and it has been around for a while – it is one of the great GPs during the season.

You seem to be keeping calm despite the difficult start to the year?

When you have a hard time it is vital to be completely focused on trying to solve the problems. I’m trying to do better from my side and also to help the engineers improve the car. This is a crucial moment for the team, approaching the middle of the season. We need to push very hard to recover what we lost at the beginning. We always knew it was going to be tough to start with, but the key is not to panic, we’ll just keep our heads down and quietly work harder, do more and do better to catch up, and overtake the other teams. We’re capable of it, there’s no doubt about that, and while it’s always frustrating not to be on the podium where we belong, this is part of the story. It’s very easy to just give up, but I think it will make us stronger in the end. There’s a cool quote I heard – ‘there’s no shortcut to any place worth going’. That’s pretty true I think.

How good was the Barcelona test in terms of seeing the potential of the team?

It was super good. To be honest it was my first real test with the team and it was great to work through the full programme and see what the team is capable of in a normal situation. Everything ran well. I felt more confident with the car just because of the mileage and I think the team felt more confident. Monaco wasn’t reflective of how much the team has progressed and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to really show how strong we’re becoming.

Which other circuits do you think will suit the E22?

Circuits where you need a lot of downforce like Silverstone, Budapest, maybe Hockenheim as well. These kinds of circuits can be more efficient for our car. We’re improving every day, so with more time we will be back at the sharp end of the grid and not only at preferred tracks.

What do you want in Canada?

I think it would be good to have a trouble free weekend and finish the race strongly in the points. With the variable weather we’ve seen there in the past, anything can happen in Montréal, however I would like to see us bringing home some good points for the team. It will be tough as it’s going to be such a tricky track for us, however if we can put in a solid performance and get the most out of the car then I think we could be in a good position.

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Coulthard: Drivers are not happy with the new Formula 1

Ex Formula 1 grand prix winner turned TV pundit David Coulthard has revealed that drivers are unhappy about the new era V6 turbo cars and admits he is also not a fan of the current formula.

Speaking to AOL Cars, Coulthard said, “[F1 drivers] are not happy. The marketers love it because it gives them a reason to put their investment into F1, and I completely understand that, but the drivers are not enjoying driving the cars this year.”

“Nico [Rosberg] and Lewis [Hamilton] are probably a bit happier as they have a better package, but even if you speak to them privately they say the driving experience is not as pure as it was,” divulged the winner of 13 grands prix.

“Part of the F1 event was all about when you arrived at the track you got excited by the noise and the anticipation as soon as you heard it,” said Couthard, adding his weight to the discontent expressed not only by drivers but also fans and others closely involved with the sport.

“When I was a kid going to Silverstone I remember standing at Stowe Corner and it was misty. Out of the morning mist came a V12 Ferrari driven by Alesi and the noise was amazing – you heard it coming and knew it was a Ferrari. It went past and you went: Wow!”

“It’s ridiculous that we like things that hurt our ears, because if the wife is talking too much and our ears get sore we don’t like that! But with race cars, or music, it’s about the sound and the experience of it.”

“If you went to see the Rolling Stones and they came out and said tonight we’re only doing an acoustic set because we’re getting old and don’t want all the noise then the crowd wouldn’t be very happy and rightly so.”

“It’s the same with Formula 1. I heard that the Monaco [crowd] was 20 per cent down this year. We have a responsibility to the fans. The fans will speak out and they know what they want,” cautioned Coulthard.

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Vergne: I’m still at Toro Rosso because they believe in me

Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne says he is not concerned that Red Bull could dump him at the end of the 2014 season.

In the nine year history of the energy drink company’s second team, only two drivers have appeared in a Toro Rosso cockpit for three consecutive seasons.

They are Sebastien Buemi, the Swiss who was surprisingly dropped at the end of a solid season in 2011, and Frenchman Vergne.

So far, the signs for 24-year-old Vergne do not appear to be good. Young rookie Daniil Kvyat has scored just as many points so far, and has stood out as perhaps a champion in the making. Vergne, in contrast, has been almost anonymous in 2014.

Demonstrating a Red Bull Formula 1 car at the Spa-Francorchamps round of the Formula Renault 3.5 series last weekend, the Frenchman was asked by Italiaracing if he is worried about the future. No driver, for instance, has ever raced for Toro Rosso for four consecutive seasons.

“Well, if the situation is as you say it is, then there is little to do,” smiled the driver popularly known as Jev in the paddock. “I’ll go home now. Seriously, I do not believe that these situations can be reduced to an evaluation of statistics.”

“At Red Bull and Toro Rosso, they have never been afraid of leaving aside drivers they do not believe in anymore, but if they had lost faith in me I think they would have let me go at the end of last year,” he insists.

“If they did not, and I’m still here, it is because they believe in me and my abilities.”

Vergne does not agree with the assessment that he has been outshone this year by the vastly less experienced Kvyat, who leapt straight into Formula 1 as GP3 champion.

“As I have said, my integration with the technical staff of the team has developed significantly,” he said, “and the results show that it is bearing fruit – something that the team takes fully into account.

“As for me, I feel at home, as if the team is my family, so I don’t think they have the intention to pull apart a package that works,” said Vergne.

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Pirelli may speed up their ‘boring’ 2014 tyres

There is a lot of discontent within the Formula 1 paddock in 2014, one of which is the problem of the current generation Pirelli tyres, and not even ultra-dominant Mercedes are happy with the situation.

“Nico (Rosberg) and Lewis (Hamilton) are probably a bit happier (than the rest) as they have a better package, but even if you speak to them privately they say the driving experience is not as pure as it was,” said Coulthard.

In Barcelona, the 2014 Formula 1 car was on average more than 4 seconds slower than in 2013. The main blame there fell on new rules that have curbed downforce.

On tight and twisty Monaco, however, the cars were also much slower than before, but the problem in the Principality was undoubtedly the tyres.

A look at Sauber’s numbers is dramatic. At Ste Devote, cornering fell from 96kph in 2013 to just 90kph last weekend, while at the spectacular swimming pool, the cars shed 8kph in just a single season.

Elsewhere, it was even worse: the fast Casino curve dropped by a massive 15kph, while at Tabac, Formula 1 cars that had cornered at 149kph in 2013 were now doing just 135kph in 2014.

Pirelli has taken a much more conservative approach to 2014, following heavy criticism of its formerly ‘aggressive’ tyres of the past, including the calamitous 2013 season.

The situation has been made even worse by a lack of track testing, with Pirelli moving to ensure its formerly delicate tyres can cope with the extremely high torque of the turbo V6s. But the result is an arguably much-too-hard tyre.

“We could easily be using the compounds that we had in the second half of last season,” Felipe Massa is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

Correspondent Michael Schmidt, however, said Pirelli is not ruling out making some mid-season corrections to its current design.

“With only four compounds for all 19 circuits, we had to compromise,” the Italian supplier’s Formula 1 boss Paul Hembery said. “We would have liked more options.”

Schmidt reported: “Hembery is not ruling out changes within this season.”

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Manager denies latest round of Schumacher rumours

Michael Schumacher’s manager has dismissed the latest round of media speculation regarding the Formula 1 legend’s recovery and wellbeing now five months since his skiing accident.

Reports in Spain last week quoted Sabine Kehm, Schumacher’s manager, as saying that the seven time world champion was now able to “interact” with his “immediate surroundings”.

The news follows a more than 150-day coma for the former Ferrari and Mercedes driver, following his skiing fall just after Christmas.

But Kehm told Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport: “I have never spoken with these journalists, and we have not issued any statement about Michael’s health condition.”

However, some believe the speculation about Schumacher’s condition is only being fuelled by the complete lack of official information from his family and management.

Roger Benoit, a respected and long-serving member of the Formula 1 corps, wrote in Blick newspaper: “Slowly, everybody is really worried. Grenoble and the family have been silent for weeks. Why?”

Also critical of the Schumacher camp’s media strategy is Gary Hartstein, the former Formula 1 doctor. He fears the worst.

“I can conceive of no possible reason that Michael’s entourage, understandably extremely protective of his and their privacy, would not tell his fans if significantly good things have happened,” Hartstein wrote on his blog.

He said that, almost six months into a coma of Schumacher’s magnitude, “only a tiny, tiny fraction” of patients ever regain consciousness.

Dr Hartstein added: “I’m quite afraid, and virtually certain, we will never have any good news about Michael. At this point, I rather dread seeing that the family has put out a press release.”

MIKA: I agree in that it would be nice to occasionally hear some news on Michael's condition. It's horrible being a fan and not knowing whats going on, even if there is no change.

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Sochi may be a night race in 2015 and beyond

The Russian Grand Prix at Sochi could be the next night race on the Formula 1 calendar.

Despite the unfolding Crimean crisis, tickets for the inaugural Russian Grand Prix in October have gone on sale.

And for the future, promoter Sergey Vorobyov said the plan is to hold the race under floodlights.

“On the night race, yes,” he told Ria Novosti news agency, “(Bernie) Ecclestone was in Sochi to make sure that the night-time is very beautiful.

“The idea is technically difficult for the first year (2014), which will definitely be a day race,” said Vorobyov.

“A night race has high costs that must first be calculated. But we like [the night race concept], and I think that sooner or later it will come,” he added.

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People struck after Rosberg ‘slams on brakes’

An eyewitness has pointed the finger of blame at Nico Rosberg in the wake of an accident last week during a promotional event that resulted in injured bystanders.

During a promotional event for Germany’s world cup football team, Rosberg and DTM driver Pascal Wehrlein were driving road cars in Tyrol, Italy, when two bystanders were struck and injured.

A statement issued by Mercedes said that Wehrlein struck “two people whom he unexpectedly encountered walking on the closed course”.

But an eyewitness has given a different account of the crash to TZ, “I saw exactly what happened. The two cars were about three or four feet apart at about 80km/h.”

“All of a sudden Nico Rosberg just slammed on the brakes. Pascal Wehrlein was surprised. He [Rosberg] obviously did not know which way the course went. Wehrlein swerved to the left, off the course, and then he hit them.”

MIKA: That's a pretty harsh statement and considering this is the case, why has Nico not been detained? I find this far fetched.

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McLaren: We'll be strong in Montreal

Eric Boullier and Jenson Button are both confident that McLaren will produce a strong set of results during this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.

McLaren received an upgrade package ahead of last month's Monaco Grand Prix, which helped the Woking outfit to end a run of three straight races without scoring a single point.

That upgrade, along with the long straights and few high-speed corners at the Montreal circuit will play into the hands of Button and his team-mate Kevin Magnussen, according to Boullier.

"We have been bringing upgrades regularly since the beginning of the season, but clearly we had a strong push since Barcelona," Boullier told Autosport.

"In Monaco we had a lot of mechanical upgrades on the car, and the track layout of Canada is high-speed with a lot of straight lines, but with no real high-speed corners, a lot of chicanes and low-speed corners, so it should suit our car and we should be in better shape than we were in Monaco."

Button, meanwhile, believes the main reason McLaren were able to turn around their form in Monaco was because they matched the rate at which the front-runners develop their cars.

"It was a positive for the whole team to put some points back on the board at Monaco after a difficult few races; we're obviously still far away from where we want to be, but it's important that we maintain our aim of continuous development throughout the whole season," Button told crash.net.

"Although we're still a long way from the leaders, we've matched the general rate of development since the start of the season, which is a positive."

The weather in Montreal tends to be somewhat unpredictable and Button believes McLaren need to be able to take advantage of any opportunities that present itself during qualifying and the race.

"I really enjoy the Canadian Grand Prix - it's one of those races where everything just feels right. The city is fantastic, the fans are friendly, loyal to the sport and incredibly supportive, the track is intense, and the racing is usually pretty hectic. It's a place that simply produces great Formula One," the 2009 World Champion added.

"In Canada, the weather can always play a key role - the forecast currently looks good, but you never know when you pull back the curtains in the morning whether you're going to be faced with blue skies, or grey clouds and pelting rain. We'll probably get a bit of both next week."

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CHANCES TO SHINE AS F1 TEAMS HEAD TO MONTREAL

This weekend is the Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal, one of the F1 fraternity’s favourite races and a solid favourite with many drivers. Battle will be resumed between the two Mercedes drivers, contesting the world title, but Ferrari has a major upgrade here and it will suit Force India, who could be podium contenders.

Montreal is unique, with its long straights and corners lined with walls, especially the “Wall of Champions” on the exit of the final chicane.

But it’s also a difficult race to win, as strategy is really important here. It has high (56%) chance of a safety car, which often turns races on their heads, a short pit lane, which means fast stops and an unusual track surface – low grip and used for racing only once a year.

Plotting the development of the grip levels as the track improves is one of the keys to success.

Track characteristics – Click to enlarge

Montreal – 4.36 kilometers.

Race distance – 70 laps = 305 kilometers. 12 corners in total. A circuit made up of straights, chicanes and a hairpin

Aerodynamic setup – Medium downforce.

Top speed 326km/h (with Drag Reduction System active on rear wing) – 316km/h without.

Full throttle – 60% of the lap (quite high). 15 seconds unbroken full throttle on main straight.

Time spent braking: 17% of lap (high). 7 braking zones. Brake wear – Very High.

Total time needed for pit stop at 80km/h: 18.8 seconds.

After the extreme of Monaco, qualifying is significantly less important at Montreal because overtaking is easy and with a short pit lane, this also has a big bearing on race strategy, generally pushing teams towards more stops rather than less.

Montreal has several long straights linked with chicanes and a hairpin. There are no high-speed corners to speak of. Good traction out of slow corners is essential as is good straight-line speed and a car that is good over the kerbs

Form Guide

The Canadian Grand Prix is the seventh round of the 2014 FIA F1 World Championship.

Mercedes is the dominant force at the moment with six wins and six pole positions. This track is likely to flatter their package too, so expect a head to head once again for pole and the win between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Hamilton has the far stronger record here, three poles and three wins. Rosberg’s best qualifying is fourth and best race result is 5th.

However he has worked hard on his braking and precision, which are key to speed here, when blended with aggression.

For the last few seasons, Ferrari has had a problem with traction out of slow corners, which is at a premium in Montreal. It has a major upgrade of chassis and power unit planned and much hope is riding on it.

Historically this has not been one of Red Bull’s strongest circuits; downforce isn’t a major factor here, but in 2012 Sebastian Vettel started on pole position and finished fourth; last year he won the race. Lack of power is likely to restrict the team’s competitiveness this season.

This should be the best chance for Force India to repeat the Bahrain podium result. The track will suit their slippery chassis, strong power unit and good traction. Sergio Perez drove very well here in 2012 to score a podium for Sauber.

As far as drivers’ form is concerned – Hamilton is the king of Montreal, having won the race three times. Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen have also won the race.

Weather Forecast

Set on the St Lawrence seaway, Montreal can experience extremes of weather for the race; it can be very hot and humid, but also cold and wet, as it was in 2011 (above). This will have a huge bearing on the tyres. It is common to see huge temperature variations – 15 degrees of track temperature on one day and 35 degrees on another. It is one of the most extreme circuit locations for this phenomenon.

Likely tyre performance and other considerations

Pirelli tyre choice for Montreal: Prime tyre is Soft and Option tyre is Super Soft. This is the same combination as in Monaco.

This combination of Pirelli tyres in Monaco proved very durable and quite hard to warm up and this is likely to be repeated this weekend.

The track surface is smooth and the lack of long corners means relatively low energy going into the tyres, which means longer life, but difficulty with warm-up. The key to making the super soft last is to limit sliding and wheel spin with the rear tyres. This happens when the drivers accelerate out of the low speed corners. This is even more of an issue this year with the high torque levels from the hybrid turbo engines, which really spin up the rear wheels.

Race Strategy: Number and likely timing of pit stops

At Montreal the winning strategy is always to plan your fastest race from lights to flag and then prepare to be flexible in the event of a safety car.

Because pit stops cost less time (18 secs) the temptation is to do two stops, but a Safety Car at the wrong moment can hand the advantage to a one-stopping car. There are many examples of this in recent years.

Because of the ease of passing, track position is less important than at many other venues. The most important thing is to qualify well and run your fastest race and see where that puts you at the end, because you will not have problems overtaking. Running in clear air as much of the race as possible is key, so if a car doesn’t qualify as well as expected, we may see the team try an aggressive strategy to keep the driver in clear air. For a fast car out of position, getting out of sequence is an idea, so the car can run in clear air as much as possible.

Historically it has worked out that going with one stop would mean that the car was ahead of the two stoppers at their final stops, but they can usually pass the one stopper in the closing stages as his pace drops on worn tyres. However a safety car would swing things towards the one stopper, so there is always an element of gambling in Montreal.

One stop would pit around Lap 26/28. Two stops, which should be faster, would pit around Laps 16 and 44.

Chance of a safety car

The chances of a safety car at Montreal are very high at 56%. Seven of the last 12 Canadian Grands Prix have featured at least one safety car.

This is because, with the track lined with walls and several blind corners, there are frequent accidents and the conditions for the marshals when clearing debris from an accident are dangerous.

Recent start performance

The run to the first corner in Montreal is short (just 150m to braking point) and there have been many first corner incidents over the years. But it is also a first corner where there are many lines and making up places is possible.

In the 2010 race, for example, only the front four cars ended the first lap in the same position in which they started!

From a strategy point of view, the start is a key game changer.

As far as 2014 start performance is concerned drivers have gained (+) or lost (-) places off the start line this season, on aggregate (taking total places lost away from total places gained), as follows –

Gained

12 Kobayashi, Massa

11 Maldonado

10 Gutierrez

9 Bianchi, Hulkenberg, Bottas

8 Ericsson

4 Perez

2 Chilton, Raikkonen, Sutil

1 Grosjean, Alonso

Held Position

Rosberg

Lost

12 Vergne

4 Button

2 Magnussen, Kvyat, Ricciardo, Hamilton

1 Vettel

Pit Stop League Table

Of course good strategy planning also requires good pit stop execution by the mechanics and we have seen tyre stops carried out in less than two and a half seconds by F1 teams.

With heavy penalties for unsafe release from a stop and loose wheels, teams have calmed down their stops to aim for consistency and no mistakes.

The league table below shows the order of the pit crews based on their fastest time in the Monaco Grand Prix, from the car entering the pit lane to leaving it. NB – The sample is not totally representative as in Monaco many stops were conducted under a safety car.

1. Williams 24.264s

2. Mercedes 24.672s

3. Lotus 25.029s

4. Caterham 25.116s

5. Ferrari 25.282s

6. Toro Rosso 25.444s

7. Force India 25.714s

8. Sauber 25.906s

9. McLaren 25.992s

10. Marussia 26.137s

11. Red Bull 26.586s

As an island street track, Montreal is only used for racing twice year. The surface has low levels of grip and is always dirty at the start of the weekend. Accurately predicting its improvement in grip is critical to race strategy here. The long back straight and tight hairpin make overtaking easy, which pushes teams towards making more stops; but with walls lining the track, there is a high chance of safety cars (due to accident debris) and safety cars undermine multi-stop strategies. The final chicane has the famous Wall of Champions on the exit, which many drivers have hit and which will be even more of a challenge this year with the rear end of the new Formula 1 cars being less stable on acceleration.

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Valtteri Bottas thinks Williams F1 team can still fight Red Bull

Valtteri Bottas believes the Williams Formula 1 team can still carry the fight to Red Bull at this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, despite a tough race in Monaco last time out.

The Grove-based outfit failed to qualify either of its cars in the top 10 at Monaco, and got only one car home in the points as Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull carried the fight to Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes for second spot.

Bottas, whose own race was ended early by an engine failure reportedly relating to his Energy Recovery System, reckons Williams will be stronger in Montreal, if it can get on top of the front tyre warm-up issues that held it back in Monaco.

"I think we can still fight [Red Bull]," Bottas said. "It's not easy - they are really improving, [but] Monaco was probably their strongest place of the season.

"On paper, Monaco was one of the more difficult tracks for us. We just need to keep working on the updates.

"In theory Canada should be one of the good ones for us [with] long straights.

"We know in Canada it can be cold and sometimes people struggle with getting front tyres up to temperature, so we really need to take some action.

"We know the issue, so we are now looking to solve it."

SILVER LINING

Williams head of vehicle performance Rob Smedley reckons the team has taken big steps forward in curing the rear grip issues that have afflicted the FW36 since the start of the season, something that should pay dividends in Montreal.

"In the first three races it was all about traction, traction, traction, and we've worked incredibly hard in lots of different areas to get around that," Smedley said.

"The teams were a little under-prepared for the front-tyre warm-up issues that we faced in Monaco - we could have done a better job in qualifying with that.

"[but] the positive is that we appear to be making inroads into the traction issues, which is a difficult problem to solve.

"Every cloud has a silver lining and I'm happy with that."

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F1 tyre supplier Pirelli open to bigger tyres and reduced downforce

Pirelli is open to the idea of rebalancing mechanical and aerodynamic grip in order to improve the racing in Formula 1, including bringing back wider tyres.

Williams driver Felipe Massa recently urged the sport to study the benefits of introducing wider tyres while reducing downforce, in order to allow cars to follow each other more closely.

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery said the tyre supplier had studied introducing wider tyres for this season, but the teams had decided against the move.

"That was one of the things we discussed last year when we first saw the new regulations - having less aero and we'll give you wider tyres," Hembery said.

"At the time, the teams didn't feel that was necessary and wanted us to keep the tyre sizes the same so we weren't able to follow that.

"But we've always said we'll do what the sport wants.

"If they want us to go up to the old, super-wide tyres we'll do that; 15-inches, 20-inches - you tell us what you want and we'll have a go at it.

"But you've got to decide what you're trying to achieve."

Pirelli has been criticised for developing a range of tyres that are too hard for this year's new cars, but Hembery said the need to construct a range of rubber that works across the full spectrum of circuits on the calendar meant compromises were inevitable.

"From a tyre point of view, you have four compounds and in some cases you are compromised, in some cases you hit the sweet spot," he added.

"But that variation probably adds some unpredictability to the races."

[LLC]

Current forecast

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Raikkonen: My 200th grand prix, which shows how time flies

Kimi Raikkonen made his grand prix debut in Australia back in 2001. This weekend in Canada he will be making his 200th start and intends to be racing flat out, not simply making up the numbers.

Speaking ahead of the Montreal weekend Raikkonen said, “I’ve been told this weekend’s Canadian GP will be my 200th grand prix, which shows how time flies.”

“I’ll still be racing flat out and the numbers don’t really change anything, but I’m sure it’s a milestone that I will look back on with pride in years to come.”

Hitting the big 200 puts Raikkonen 14th in the all-time table, which is headed by Rubens Barrichello on 323 Formula 1 race starts.

The 35 year old Finn took a two year sabbatical in 2010 and 2011, returning with Lotus in 2010 before moving this year to Ferrari with whom he won the world title in 2007.

Raikkonen won the Canadian Grand Prix back in 2005 for McLaren, but since then the venue on Ile de Notre Dame has not been a happy hunting ground. He is hoping to change that fact this weekend.

“Apart from this being my 200th race, I’m not here just to make up the numbers and getting a good result in Montreal would give us a better reason to celebrate. The Canadian race is one of the most challenging of the season and a track where you have to get everything just right in terms of the car set-up.”

“We have some upgrades for this weekend, but of course the other teams have not been standing still, so the order should not have changed much.”

“Hopefully we can close the gap a bit and get the best result of the season so far for my 200th race, which would be great for the whole team,” added Raikkonen who has 20 grand prix wins on his CV.

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Ferrari to unleash Version-B of the F14T in Montreal

Ferrari are arriving in Montreal, for the Canadian Grand Prix weekend with a heavily revised F14T which Italian media are calling ‘Version-B’.

Autosprint are reporting that the race at the circuit named after Ferrari’s favourite son, Gilles Villeneuve, is the do-or-die race for the team’s 2014 programme. A successful weekend would mean that the team will continue to focus on their current campaign, while another below par race will trigger full focus on the 2015 car.

Maranello have confirmed that they are taking substantial updates to Canada which should give them a boost, but are keen to stress that all is dependent on what their main rivals unleash at the same time.

Perhaps the biggest news is that as per Luca di Montezemolo’s promises and as confirmed recently by James Allison, Ferrari will be using “aggressive” engine maps to take more effective advantage of the electric charge of the MGU-H energy store and hence, in theory, should provide more power for Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen..

It has emerged that the turbo on the Ferrari power unit is too small, and the size thereof cannot be changed during the course of this season. Thus all efforts, ahead of the race in Canada, are focussed on improving other elements of the unit, which have included fuel tweaks made by Shell.

It has also been found that the F14T is unstable during load transfers, a problem which has been traced to the floor of the car, which has been updated with the goal of stabilising and maximising the efficiency of air flow under the car.

Much of the new development parts may not find their way on to the car for race day, but whatever the case the Ferrari drivers will be working hard for their wages on Friday in Montreal to get through what is set to be a packed evaluation programme.

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Flashback: McLaren’s triumph and tears in Canada

McLaren have won the Canadian Grand Prix no fewer than 13 times – more than any other team - and along the way the Woking outfit have had glorious moments, peppered by heartbreak on occasions. Here are 14 races that stand out for the team.

Montreal 2012 – Nailing the strategy at the last-gasp (Pictured Above)

What a nail-biter! On paper, this was a two-stopper race – so why had nobody followed Lewis Hamilton into the pitlane when he made his second stop on lap 50? For a few, tense laps, it looked as if the plan had failed, then rivals’ degradation really kicked in, and Lewis surged to the front for a beautifully judged win. Team effort, that one.

Montreal 1999 – Mika steers clear of ‘the wall of champions’

This was the race that earned the narrow run-off at the exit of the final chicance the title of ‘the wall of champions’ – the barrier that, in one afternoon, claimed the races of Jacques Villeneuve, Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher. Call it luck or judgment, but Mika Hakkinen kept it clean, taking the sole Canadian GP win of his career.

Mosport 1974 – Emmo sets his sights on the title

The ’74 championship was ferociously tight, see-sawing between Emmo, Jody Scheckter, Clay Reggazoni and Niki Lauda. At Mosport, a much-needed win for Emerson Fittpipaldi narrowly edged him to the top of the table, on equal points with Regazzoni. He nailed it a fortnight later in Watkins Glen, winning McLaren’s first-ever world championship.

Montreal 1990 – Senna steers clear of startline chaos

Chaos on the startline as McLaren’s Gerhard Berger jumps the start, incurring a one-minute post-race penalty. It adds to the race’s confusion as the Austrian is forced to build an advantage reduce the invisible deficit. In mixed conditions, this was an afternoon all about keeping your head, which Ayrton Senna did in true style, sailing to his second Canadian GP win.

Mont-Tremblant 1968 – McLaren comes of age at Mont-Tremblant

The 1968 season was a year of breakthrough for the fledgling McLaren team. Bruce McLaren took the team’s first victory at Spa in May, then Denny Hulme underlined the team’s inherent pace with wins in Italy (aided by severe attrition) and Mont-Tremblant, taking the lead when the ever-luckless Chris Amon’s Ferrari faltered and failed. McLaren was up and running…

Mosport 1976 – Hunt claws his way back into contention

It was one of the most topsy-turvy seasons in history – even with Niki Lauda sidelined for the summer with near-fatal injuries, few would have put money on James Hunt overcoming a 35-point deficit. Yet victory at Mosport, with Lauda failing to score, helped bolster his fightback, underlining the awesome competitiveness of a driver whose on-track reputation is often overlooked in the history books.

Montreal 2007 – The rookie who was born to do it

It takes nerve to control a race from the front, particularly if you’re on course for your first-ever F1 win, and the pace is being pushed and pulled by numerous Safety Car periods – the numerous restarts only adding to the pressure. But Lewis Hamilton kept his cool and took his first win – liking it so much he followed it up with another a week later at Indianapolis.

Montreal 2011 – Jenson’s day of days

There are days when it just doesn’t seem worth it: you’re comfortably last, sloshing through the puddles, and you can’t even keep up with the Safety Car. It took oodles of belief, five pitstops (for, variously, a drive-through penalty, a puncture, a new nosebox and a couple of tyre changes) and some mighty pace on a drying track to change it all. One of the all-time greatest grands prix.

Montreal 2008 – Lewis loses it – at 40mph!

Lewis had crushed it in Qualifying (0.6s faster than anyone), and was running away with the race – but lost it all when the Safety Car induced a flurry of early pitstops. He charged headfirst into a pitlane traffic jam, suffered – to use an Americanism – a classic ‘fender bender’, rear-ending Kimi Raikkonen and putting his and the Finn’s cars out on the spot.

Montreal 2005 – Red light stops mighty Montoya

After a tricky start to the year, it finally all seemed set to go right for Juan Pablo Montoya in Montreal. He was set for the win, until a late-race Safety Car came out at just the wrong time, ruining his race. He’d just passed the pitlane, so had to wait a lap to stop, tumbling down the order. Even worse, he then sped out of the pitlane while it was closed, ignoring the red light and getting disqualified.

Montreal 2011 – The moment every team dreads

No team wants to see its team-mates collide. But during a scrappy race on a slippery track it was almost inevitable: Lewis closed down on Jenson along the pit straight, jinking left just as Jenson began to steer leftwards to adopt his line for the first corner. Blindsided, the two made contact, Lewis clattering into the pitwall and damaging his rear suspension. Game over.

Montreal 1989 – Montreal misery for Ayrton

‘To finish first, first you must finish’ goes the old motorsport saying. And it just adds to the pain when you retire from the lead almost within sight of the flag. That’s precisely what happened to Ayrton Senna when his Honda V10 cried enough just three laps from the chequer, handing an unlikely victory to Thierry Boutsen (his first of three). Motor racing can be a cruel sport sometimes.

Montreal 2010 – Lewis’s Cool Runnings moment

Lewis left it until the last lap to secure pole at the 2010 race, breaking Red Bull’s season-long domination of top spot. It was so close, in fact, that Lewis ran dry on his slow-down lap, patting the car like a racehorse as it slowed along the back straight. He was made-up when he discovered the moment had been recreated as a web video to mimic the climax of his favourite film, Cool Runnings!

Mosport 1973 – When is a win not a win?
What a mess! This was F1’s first-ever appearance of the Safety Car – and it caused mass confusion, failing to catch the leader, and allowing slower cars to gain a lap on the rest of the field. It took several hours of post-race head scratching to declare McLaren’s Peter Revson the winner, yet there are still some who believe that Emerson Fittipaldi’s Lotus was the rightful victor! Chaos.

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Vettel: If the car is not working, the victories will not come

Sebastian Vettel says questioning his credentials as a quadruple Formula 1 world champion is disrespectful and, that no matter how good a driver is, without a capable car winning is impossible.

After four consecutive titles successes, culminating in the ultra-dominant second half of the 2013 season, the German has struggled even to match Red Bull newcomer Daniel Ricciardo this year with a less competitive and unreliable car.

Monaco, for example, was a particularly fraught weekend for Vettel, who was rarely confident that his RB10 would even run.

“I have had many problems with the car,” he said in an interview published by RTL. “So it’s hard to get in your rhythm and get the best out of yourself.”

He said he is dealing with the “frustration” of 2014 by playing sports between races, taking out one of his road cars or indulging his new passion, motorcycling.

In another interview this week, with the German magazine Sport Bild, he blasted as “bullsh*t” any speculation that the frustration might trigger his Red Bull exit.

Also irking him is the suggestion that 2014 is showing Vettel’s true colours – the contention that he is not as ‘great’ a driver in anything other than an ultra-dominant car.

“Looking back, I only had one race without problems. That was Malaysia,” he told RTL. “Again, I think it’s just important to stay true to yourself – if the car is not working, you can be the best driver in the world, the victories will not come.

“I think if you want to make a comparison,” said Vettel, “I remember when Michael [schumacher] came back with Mercedes and the car was just not on the same level as him, maybe not at the level of his Ferrari.

“But there were many people who said at the time that ‘Michael was just lucky when he won everything with Ferrari’. But as I said, at some point you have already proved enough to yourself and to the others.”

Indeed, he hit back at critics who suggest that Vettel is not a worthy quadruple world champion, on the level of some of Formula 1′s other multiple-title greats.

“Yes,” said the German, “Unfortunately in our day and age it is quite normal that you come to such judgements very quickly. I think you have to learn to deal with it.

“It’s very easy to say something or write something. Of course it’s a pity and it’s a bit like kindergarten, but sadly it’s like that in Formula 1. Everyone thinks that everyone has something to hide.”

Asked if he thinks that suggestions that he has ‘forgotten how to drive’ are disrespectful, Vettel answered: “That’s the way the world is now. It is disrespectful, because these people do not know the background.

“Often they don’t even want to know the background – they want to know how controversial and not-so-great it is, not how wonderfully everything is going.”

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Haas: The plan is absolutely to launch in 2016

Gene Haas has confirmed reports that his new Formula 1 team will not make it on to the grid until the 2016 season

Recently, it was reported the NASCAR team co-owner’s ‘plan A’ for his newly-granted Formula 1 entry Haas Formula was to join the grid next season.

But he confirmed this week to Formula 1 business journalist Christian Sylt: “From a personal standpoint, I really would have liked to go racing in 2015. It was hard to sit there and say no.

“Trust me, I really wanted to go,” Haas told Forbes. “The first year is always going to be going to be tough but I think that by waiting a year we will probably only have six months of it being really tough because we will be better prepared.”

Sylt said that the extra year will give Haas time to set up his design and aerodynamics department in North Carolina, and find a satellite headquarters in the south of England.

“The plan is absolutely to launch in 2016 and we are fully committed to that,” said Haas. “I don’t think there is any doubt about that whatsoever.”

Initially, the plan was to have the first Haas car built by the Italian manufacturer Dallara, while leaning heavily on Ferrari for technical support.

Haas said: “I think [that by debuting in 2016] we will be a better team because we will have more time to plan and we will be able to do a lot more engineering in Kannapolis.

“We decided that it would be better to be 100 per cent sure we are going to make the race rather than scramble and not make the race,” he added.

Haas will, however, be trackside this weekend in Montreal, as the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve hosts the Canadian Grand Prix.

“There’s a lot of logistics that we are going to learn and this weekend we are going to be asking a lot of questions like ‘How do you get that box from here to there?’” he said.

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Inside Line: Are F1 Mercedes bosses out of their depth?

For Mercedes the 2014 Formula 1 season has been an astonishing roller-coaster ride of success, with six wins out of six races and most of their rivals predicting that the Silver Arrows are capable of making it a clean sweep of 19 victories this season. Of course time will tell…

The only bee in the bonnet for the squad has been the intense rivalry between childhood mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, who would appear to be the only contenders for this year’s title – with Rosberg leading the standings despite Hamilton’s four wins in six starts. This is the main story of this season and the rivalry has captured most of the headlines, the rest is little more than a sideshow.

But to me the most fascinating element of the silver soap opera is the fact that the likes of Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda – the two man cabal that now runs the team – appear out of their depth with the situation they find themselves in.

The gaffes made by Wolff are predictable if not understandable, the guy has no experience running a Formula 1 race team of such a calibre (or any race team for that matter) hence the ill advised hiring of a sports psychologist to deal with his feuding drivers. Needless to say neither Nico or Lewis are being not ‘treated’ by the shrink and both drivers slagged off the effort as a bad idea.

Then there was Wolff seeking an audience with Alain Prost to seek advice on how the great Frenchman handled the conflict with Ayrton Senna – anyone who has some inkling of the history of our sport knows that the two rivalries are totally different and Prost’s input hardly a road map for Wolff to follow. In all instances Prost turned his back and walked away, if I remember correctly.

Wolff’s actions are naive and those of a chap not knowing where to turn now that he suddenly and unexpectedly finds himself at the summit of a mountain. Does he plant the flag? Enjoy the view? Take a selfie? Pull out the manual? Ask advise? Or all of the above!

A couple of years ago Toto for most of us was an American rock band with hits in the seventies and eighties of which one included ‘Stranger In Town’ which is essentially what Wolff is in Formula 1 terms.

On the other hand, in this good cop bad cop scenario (no guessing who is who) you would expect seasoned veteran Lauda to know the right moves to make in a dominant situation of this nature. However dig a tad deeper and we realise that the legend that he became was due to his prowess as a canny, extremely brave and ultra-fast race driver who was thrice crowned F1 World Champion. However his Formula 1 management ‘career’ has hardly been stellar.

For instance: what was Lauda doing singing the praises of Hamilton when he had his run of four wins in a row? Declaring that the Briton was unbeatable. That would have irked Rosberg no end, especially when it later transpired that Hamilton broke an agreement not to use a boost button during the Spanish Grand Prix.

Thus huge credit to Nico for bouncing back with his defiant victory in Monaco.

Lauda boasts that he has the ear of both squabbling lads, and that he will sort them out. Watch this space because things are going to get interesting as the Lewis versus Nico slug-fest is far from over, and only going to get more intense.

Despite the phenomenal dominance, Mercedes is lacking controlled, experienced and non-hysterical leadership – the kind of stuff Ross Brawn brought to work in the mornings, before he was nudged out of the team.

Former grand prix winner John Watson puts it most eloquently in his Daily Mail column: “If you think back to last year’s Malaysian Grand Prix, Rosberg wanted to catch and pass Hamilton, and Brawn emphatically said: No. Hold position. It is not just what you say, it is the way you say it and it is the person who says it.”

From where I sit, at the moment, Mercedes do not have the right person saying the right things at the right time. What they have is a brilliant car, exceptional backroom staff and two superb drivers, which when you think about it that should be enough this year despite the two chaps at the helm.

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Forza Rossa yet to lodge $20 million F1 guarantee

Colin Kolles’ new Formula 1 team still has a substantial hurdle to clear before it can join the grid.

Media reports this week have claimed that – like the prospective 2016 outfit Haas Formula – the Ferrari-linked, Romanian-backed ‘Forza Rossa’ has also obtained the FIA’s approval to enter the sport within the next two years.

It is believed Kolles, the former HRT and Force India chief, has received a ‘letter of intent’ from Formula 1′s governing body.

But PA Sport correspondent Ian Parkes explained on Tuesday: “[Forza Rossa] have yet to lodge the required bond guarantee of $20 million.”

He said that the team has until June 23 to lodge the bond. Nonetheless, it appears that Kolles’ plans are well advanced.

Italiaracing reports that the project has Romanian state and private links, held together by Ion Bazak, a senior Romanian politician and chairman of the Romanian importer of Ferrari road cars, also called Forza Rossa.

Also being reported from Italy is that Nicolo Petrucci, formerly Toro Rosso’s aerodynamics chief and with links to both Ferrari and Dallara, could be set to join the Haas project.

[MIKA27]

Magnussen eyes uneventful race

Even though he finished in the points in Monaco, Kevin Magnussen is convinced he could have recorded a better result in his maiden Formula One race there.

After going three races without scoring any points, the Dane scored a solitary point in the Principality when he finished in 10th place, but he arguably would have finished closer to the winners if he didn't struggle with engine problems during the closing stages of the race.

The reigning World Series by Renault champion had similar problems in Barcelona a fortnight before the race on the Monte Carlo streets, and it comes as no surprise that Magnussen is hoping for a less eventful race in Montreal this week.

"It would be nice to have a straightforward weekend after a couple of disappointing technical problems," he admitted to crash.net.

"Things didn't quite go my way in Spain or Monaco - through no fault of my own - so I just want to get my head down, work with my engineers and work on delivering a good result, with no mishaps. I think it'll actually be interesting to see what we can achieve without encountering a problem that sets us back."

Even though he has never raced at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the 21-year-old is relishing the opportunity to finally compete in Montreal.

"The Canadian Grand Prix is one of those races I'm really looking forward to," he admitted.

"I've always watched it on TV, and it's always looked like one of the very best, most enjoyable, and most dramatic events of the season.

"The track looks like a lot of fun - it's got a good blend of corners, and it's the kind of place where you want the car nicely hooked up and beneath you because, apart from the back straight, it's pretty much always changing direction.

"It's a bit like Monaco in that respect - but a lot faster!"

[MIKA27]

Force India's British GP upgrade will define 2014 F1 season goals

Force India deputy chief Bob Fernley is confident the major upgrade planned for July's British Grand Prix can keep it in contention for fourth in the Formula 1 constructors' championship.

The Silverstone-based squad has scored 67 points in 2014 and is behind only Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari in the standings, with main rivals McLaren and Williams both 15 points behind.

But while playing down any realistic ambitions of breaking into the top three, Fernley is confident improvements to the Force India VJM07 will allow it to continue to score well.

"I think it's probably a bridge too far [challenging for the top three] but you never know," Fernley told AUTOSPORT.

"We have still got upgrades coming in, so we will get the upgrades in at Silverstone and then reassess.

"You never want to give away opportunities and we won't stop fighting.

"Monaco was a very good weekend for us, we were really solid all weekend and exactly where we wanted to be - consolidating that fourth place."

Force India ceased development of its 2013 car relatively early last year, which has paid dividends in its strong start to this season.

But Fernley stressed that there are no plans to let up in the upgrade programme for the current car.

"I don't think there is any point in stopping because next year's car is just an evolution of this year's," he said.

"Anything you are investing on this year is going to apply for next year, so we will be developing all the way through the year."

While the Force India has been only a marginal Q3 contender during the previous two race weekends, with its drivers ending up 10th and 12th fastest in qualifying, Fernley believes that race results are the true measure of the team's level.

"Sometimes, within the media world, we are looking at one-lap pace and judging cars on one-lap pace but you have to judge cars on racecraft," said Fernley.

"That's where we make our points and we have constantly been in the points all the way through.

"Our drivers are of excellent calibre and we are consistently getting them both into the points.

"We should be judged more on our championship position. It's not just about pure pace."